Em & M, plain AND peanut?: Ezra: 10 months

I can hardly believe he's 10 months old! Yikes, time does fly :)

From his 9 month appointment:
Weight: 20 lbs. 14 oz
Height: 28 3/4"

Head Circumference:18"

He was in the 60th percentile for all. Completely proportionate and average. I like it.

Eats: Eating should go under likes. He likes to eat. And he's not to picky. We've switched to finger foods almost exclusively, however, we still do some purees and cereal when I feel like I need a little more control over his nutrition.

He loves mandarin oranges, apple pieces, strawberries, bananas, peeled grapes, carrots, potatoes (mostly french fried), chicken nuggets (not chicken fingers, something with the batter is not his favorite), pasta, mac and cheese, raviolis, pizza, steak, sausage, bacon, eggs, waffles, and whatever it is that YOU'RE eating. Because everything is more delicious when it's on someone else's plate.

He will try anything and doesn't often make the "bleck" face. Although when he does it is priceless.

We're still sticking with 3 6oz bottles a day; morning, afternoon, and before bed. The dr gave us the go ahead to start introducing milk. We have two jumbo containers of formula left in the closet from my last shopping binge and I think if those get us through the next month, we'll start the transition then.

Sleeps: Sleeping is going pretty well. He will still wake up in the middle of the night on occasion but really it's not that often.

We've started sleep training and it's going ok. It's a little heartbreaking to sit at the bottom of the stairs while he screams but he calms right down when I walk in the room. He's still working out that I'm not going to stay with him the entire time he needs to fall asleep, but we're getting there. The minute of back rubbing and shooshing really helps every 5 minutes or so. That Ferber really was a smart guy.

Napping is another story. He fights naps. Like, physically fights (punches, kicks, pinches, bites, wiggles) away from naps. He used to love to rock but I need one of those full body padded suits to rock him now. He still loves singing and music which seems to be what puts him to sleep every time. He's getting a bit of a schedule, too, which is nice. Hopefully work doesn't throw a wrench into it.

Likes:
He likes to watch people. We brought him to the aquarium and he was more interested in what the kids around him were doing than the giant jelly fish or glowing eel that was in the case in front of him. I'm not sure if he's going to turn out to be the nosy gossiper or the quiet guy in the corner or an expert on human behavior. We'll have to wait and see.

The beach. This kid loves the sand and the water and the birds and the people. I'll have another post devoted to our recent week at the beach, but seriously he just loves the beach. It's great. I'm sad summer is almost over.

Climbing his is favorite. He has recently figured out how to climb all the way up the stairs (with supervision), the outside of the stairs where the banisters are, onto the couch, and on top of the baseboards to look out the windows. We're going to find him on top of the TV one day, I swear.

Stuffed animals. Right now Penny the Penguin is his favorite at the moment. Whenever he sees one he squeezes it and hugs it. It's so cute. He also likes to point out noses, eyes, and ears on his stuffed animals.

Dislikes:
Sitting still. He is the wiggliest kid I've ever met. Up down hold me don't hold me push the chair sit on the floor crawl take out the pots and pans chase the dog with it's toy climb up the stairs try and eat something inedible. It's incredible. He's always in motion. Try to get him to sit in a bumbo while you eat dinner. You'll get about 10 minutes before he's doing the back bend and trying to rip the tray off of it.

He has also mastered the wiggle-out-of-mommy's-grip. He can pretty much figure out a way to make it nearly impossible for me to continue holding him if he wants to get on the floor and crawl. Even if it's a public bathroom floor or somewhere else equally as disgusting. My growing belly doesn't help either.

When the dogs bark. It never used to phase him. I can remember when he was first born and he would be sleeping in the bassinet in the living room and the dogs would literally jump over the bassinet and start barking and he wouldn't even flinch. Now he cries and clings to me like I have any control over their barking (bad owner, I know). And they bark at the dust bunnies that blow around my living room. It's always an adventure over here.

He still has some separation anxiety when he's away from someone interesting or somewhat familiar.

Milestones:
He's pulling up on everything, even walls, and can walk along the couch or walk while pushing something. He can get standing on his own for about 3 seconds. I think crawling is still much faster so he prefers to crawl and he has knees of steel. People always comment on how fast he is.

EIGHT teeth. Yes eight. He went from 3 to 8 in 2 months. Crazy. But he's also a biter so 8 teeth isn't really good news. We're working on that.

First real words. Dada, dowdy (doggy), baba (bottle), ayo (hello, with your hand to your ear like you're on the phone), do (nose, when poking mommy in the nose)

Things I want to remember about this age:
Your babbles. I love all the sounds you make and it really sounds like you're trying to have a conversation. I wish I knew what you were saying!

The point. I love when you point at things. You want to know what everything is and you notice so many things. Birds at the beach, kids playing, the lights, whatever. I love to see that you are such a part of your world and I know it's only a matter of time before you start talking about everything you see.

Your little dance. Anytime you hear a song you like you bob up and down to the tune (and usually on the beat I might add) and it's one of my favorite things. You really love music and I love that!

Here are some 9 and 10 month photos for your viewing pleasure: